Wood splitting machine



1948' c. T. HANNERS 2,446,585 I WOOD SPLITTING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1945 ZI W c. THOMAS HANNERS Patented Aug. 10, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WOOD SPLITTING MACHINE Cleiburn Hanners, Etna, Calif.

Application April 13, 1945, Serial No. 588,154

' '2 Claims. (Cl. 144-193) The present invention relates to new and useating the blade toward and away fromthe wood to be split, together with means for regulating the force of the splitting action of the blade.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for controlling the forward and backward movement of the wood-splitting blade or head. at all times.

A still further object is'to provide a machine of this character of simple and practical construction, which is strong and durable, efiicient and reliable in performance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view with parts broken away and shown in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan View.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the drive means for the reciprocating cutter or splitting head.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on a line 44 of Figure 1.

Referring nOW to the drawing in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates generally the supporting frame or base of the machine on which is supported a table 6 by means of legs or uprights I. At one end of the table 6 is provided an upstanding anvil or stop 8 against which one end of the block of wood to be split is placed, the wood lying on the table 6.

A drum 9 is secured to a shaft l extending transversely beneath the table, the shaft being journaled on the lower end of hanger bearings I l which are swingably supported at their upper ends in pins 12 secured to frames l3 at the under side of the table 6.

An elongated blade or splitting member M is slidably mounted on the table 6, one end of the member being provided with a sharpened cutting 2 head l adapted for movement toward andaway from the anvil 8. r

A cable l6 has its intermediate portion wound on the drum 9 and its ends extending oppositely therefrom'above and below the drum, one end of the cable extending forwardly under the table 6 for attaching to the under side of the splitting member l4 adjacent the head l5 thereof by means of an eye bolt I! extendingvertically through the splitting member The other end of the cable extends rearwardly under the table and is inserted through an eye bolt 18 attached to the rear of the, splitting member l4 and is provided with an adjusting screw l9 including a nut 20 threaded thereon and a coil spring 2| positioned between thenut and the rear side of the eye bolt l8, as shown to advantage in Figure 1 of the drawing, whereby to adjust the tension of the cable.

The table 6 is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 22 to accommodate the eye bolts I1 and 18 during the reciprocating movement of the cutting member l4 thereon.

To one end of the shaft I0 is secured a friction bull wheel 23 and the shaft I0 is rockably actuated to move the bull wheel 2-3 bodily forwardly and rearwardly by means of a link .24 pivoted at one end to the shaft I0 and extending forwardly and pivotally attached at its front end adjacent the lower end of a lever 25 which is pivoted on a pin 26 at its lower end and extends vertically at one side of the table 6. The lever 25 is secured in its intermediate, or in a forward or rearward position by means of a spring catch 21.

The bull wheel 23 is positioned between front and rear friction wheels or rollers 28 and 29, the friction wheel 28 being secured at one end of a transversely extending shaft 30 journaled on the frame 5 and to the other end of which is secured a pulley or sprocket 3! about which a belt or chain 32 is trained and extends over upper end lower idler pulleys or sprockets 33 for rotating the shaft 30 in an opposite direction by means of a pulley or sprocket 34 secured at the end of a shaft 35 to which the rear friction wheel 29 is also secured.

The shaft 35 is driven by a belt or chain 36 from a motor-driven shaft 31, the motor (not shown) being of any conventional form.

A belt or chain tightener 38 is provided for the upper flight of the belt or chain 32, as shown to advantage in Figure 3 of the drawing.

In the operation of the device, the bull wheel 23 is normally held out of frictional driving engagement with either of the drive wheels 28 and 29 by securing the lever 25 in its neutral position, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawing.

The friction drive wheels 28 and 29 rotate in opposite directions, as shown by the arrows in Figure 1 of the drawing, and by manipulatin the lever 25 to move the bull wheel 23 forwardly and rearwardly, the bull wheel will likewise be selectively driven in opposite directions to thus wind and unwind the respective ends'ofitheicable l 6 andrireciprocate thespIitting member-I 4 which thereby will move the splitting head l5 toward and away from the anvil or stop 8 for splitting the block of wood lying on the table 6 and held against the anvil.

By reason of the frictional drive connection fol?v the bull wheel 23, it will be apparent that the speed or force of the splitting head' l-i may be regulated by the pressure exerted on the lever-J5.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will iJe'urrderst-ood that'various-changes-may be made :in the construction and arrangement'of "the parts 'witlioutfleparting' from the-spirit of the inven- "t'lonor the scope of the appended claims.

Having'thusdescribed the invention,- what I i claim is 11 A-log splittihgm'achine comprising atable 'adapted' for supporting a log-to be split thereon, ananvirrisingabove the table and forming an abutment for one end of the'logyan elongated s'plittingmemper having a'splittin'g'hea-d at one 'end,";said"splitting member being slicl'ably. mountedpn'thetabIe, axdrum having a-cable wound thereon with its ends :e'xtending 'in opposite di- :re'ctiohs fIOIH'thB "cable and "attached respectively'to' the "front and rear ends of the splitting splitting member having a splitting head at one end, said splitting member being slidably mounted on the table, a drum having a cable wound qthereonlwith its ends extending in opposite directions from the cable and attached respectively --to'=the front and rear ends of the splitting memher, a.swingable support for the drum, a friction wheel secured to the drum for rotation therewith, a pair of oppositely rotating friction drive wheels, and a-manually operable lever connected to-said first-named friction wheel and adapted-for moving the same bodily into and'outof engagement with the respective friction drive wheels for reciprocably actuatin said' splitting member.

CLEIBURN T. HANNERS.

REFERENGES ClZlED Thefollowing references are'of record in..the filelof. this patent:

UNITEDJS'IAIES PATENTS Number "Name "Date I 1,310,660 Inman July 22,1 1919 11666795 "Schmidt Apr. 17;"1928 2,365,932 A .Bierd Dec.-'26,' '1944 

